Unshed Tears
by DoubleKK
Summary: on hiatus
1. Chapter 1

Red Wine and Unshed Tears

By Kirstin S.

A/N: Here's a new full-length for ya'll! I know I don't usually do more of a tragedy one,

But I never did on before because I didn't have any ideas. (also I didn't want my parents to read it) I might change the rating to T later on, because the title suggests that it's an intense story. But I don think I have the writing skills to make it to tragic. I'll probably end up making it a happy ending, you know me.

Prologue

As a speed boat approached the small island, a young woman stared unblinkingly at the small village known as Mineral Town. Her long black hair blew in the ocean breeze. The small beach came into clearer view, and one thought was in this stranger's head. _Home sweet home…_

Chapter One

A bizarre first impression

Jack drew back his hammer and brought it crashing down onto a large round stone, making the small crack in the top widen slightly. Jack let out a grunt of frustration. He had already hit the annoyingly tough rock five times, and it still would not break.

_Lousy hammer_… He thought irritably.

There was a creak as the gate to his farm opened. He glanced up. Karen walked into his farm glancing around. He smiled.

"Hey" said Jack

"Hey." replied Karen. It was their signature greeting.

Jack and Karen had some weird feelings between them, even though neither of them really acknowledged it. At least to each other. Sure, Karen had been a little sore after Jack had invited Ann to the fireworks festival last year, but it was only because Rick had beaten Jack to asking her. And Jack had been a little less civil with Rick after that, even though they had gotten along fine before.

The silent atmosphere was broken when Jack's puppy, Almond, ran up to Karen barking happily.

"Good boy." Murmured Karen, kneeling down to scratch the small dog behind the ears.

"So what's up?" asked Jack

"Oh. Right. Actually, I just came to tell you that my dad would like to speak to you."

"How come?" asked Jack curiously

"I'm not sure. He just told me to tell you what I told you." She said.

"?"

Karen blushed. "I mean…"

"It's okay."

There was a distant scream of delight coming from two streets away. Jack and Karen glanced at each other.

"Who was that?" asked Karen. Jack shrugged.

"Let's go find out."

A/N: I'm being a bad girl, I have a story that I need to update and I'm starting a new one. Oh well. No one is reviewing on my other one anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

Unshed Tears

By Kirstin

A/N: UGH! I know I changed the name, so it might be a bit confusing. Ok. Read. Review. Carry on.

Jack and Karen made their way up the cobblestone path, looking for the source of the scream. As they approached the winery they saw Manna and a young woman hugging, with Duke standing back, a smile on his face.

Manna noticed the two, and broke apart from the girl. "Jack! Karen! You wouldn't believe who this is! This is our daughter Aja. You know, the one who left Mineral Town a few years ago? Our Winery is named after her. I don't know if you know that. We didn't have a name before she was-"

"Manna, I'm not sure they want to here all that." Duke interrupted her.

"Hi." Aja said. "Nice to meet you."

Jack smiled. "I'm Jack, and this is Karen."

"Hello."

"Yeah yeah, introductions and all that. Sweetie, you have to see the town! It's changed since you were last here, you know! Did you know that we have T.V. service out here now? You'll love it!" said Manna

"Mom…" Aja whined.

Karen stifled a giggle.

"Aja, how come you left the town in the first place?" Jack asked

"I left to see the city. I had always wanted to go there, to be an actress."

Karen's face hardened.

"Come on, dear, let's go tell everyone you're here!" Manna said, grabbing her daughter by the arm.

"Alright. Bye guys!"

"Bye" Jack said, waving to the three.

As the family left, Karen sighed. "Great. Now she's back."

"What's wrong? Do you not like her or something?"

"It's not that, it's just… never mind."

"If you say so…" Jack said, hiding a smile.

"Ok, fine. When I was about fifteen and she was sixteen, Aja wanted to run away to go to the city. I was gonna go to, but my parents found out and stopped me. Aja got lucky and managed to sneak off. We used to be best friends…" Karen said "She lived her dream of acting on Broadway, while I was stuck here."

Jack looked surprised. "You… were going to run away?"

"But I didn't. I was actually about to chicken out anyway," she sighed again.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm glad you didn't take off."

"Why?"

"Cause' then I never would have met you."

_Divider _

Jack walked over to the Inn, looking for Cliff. He had borrowed his axe, and he needed it back.

As he entered the building, he spotted Ann standing at the counter. "Hey, Ann?"

She looked up. "Oh, hi Jack!"

"Have you seen Cliff?"

"Um, I think he's working today."

"Ok. See ya!"

He pushed open the door and walked out, leaving Ann standing there. She giggled, thinking of the time he almost busted it down…

Jack walked to the building next to the Inn. He saw that Cliff was picking some grapes off the vines. _Now why didn't notice him before?_ Jack thought, realizing his stupidity.

Cliff turned around to put a handful of grapes in the bucket, and noticed Jack standing there. "Hey!"

"Hey Cliff. Do you have my axe?"

"Yeah. I just left it in the shop. Come on, I'll go get it.

Jack followed Cliff into the house that doubled as the shop. Cliff went around the counter and picked up Jack's silver axe. "Here. Thanks for letting me use it.

"No problem." Jack said. Just then, Aja came down the stairs. "Jack! Just the person I wanted to see. Do you think that you could do me a favor?"

"Umm…" Jack hesitated. He needed to get back to the farm.

"Come on! It'll only take like, twenty minutes!" she asked, giving him puppy-dog

eyes.

"Alright,"

"Great! My dad ordered a new bed from Gotz. I need you to help me carry it back, because my dad is busy."

"Well, okay." Jack said.

"Let's go!"

As they left the shop, Jack looked back at the house. _Why did she need me instead of just asking Cliff?_

A/N: Aha, now we're getting somewhere. I can't believe it! Two updates in one day!


	3. Chapter 3

Unshed Tears

By K1

A/N: CHAPTER THREE! Thank you. Carry on.

Aja laughed. "Come on, you!"

Jack took one last look at the winery, and followed Aja up the path.

As they made their way to the carpenter, Jack started to notice some of Aja's features. She was very pretty. Her long dark hair was pulled back into a pony tail, with a silver clip attached to it. She had green eyes like Karen, but hers were much darker.

It was then that she realized he was staring at her, and Jack looked away quickly.

They arrived at the small wooden cottage that was the carpenters, and Aja pushed opend the door. They noticed that Gotz was absent from his usual post behind the counter.

"Where is he?" Jack said, looking around.

Aja shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to wait."

She sat down on a nearby chair. A few minutes later, neither of them had said anything. The awkward silence between them was growing thicker by the second. Finally, Jack spoke.

"How come you came back, Aja?"

She looked at him for a minute, then stared at her knees again. "I t may be hard to believe, but I missed this little town." She looked up again. "Don't tell Karen I said that."

He laughed, and sat down on the chair next to her. "You have no idea how much she wants to get away from here."

"I'm not so sure. I think that she'd miss some of the people here, then want to come back."

"Yeah?"

"Trust me, she'd come crawling back."

He laughed again. "You mean like you?"

Aja grinned. "Yeah, just like me."

The door opened, and in walked the almighty Gotz. He looked at the two of them "What are you doing here?" he asked in his gruff voice.

"We're here to pick up my bed." Aja answered.

"Oh, right. I'll go get it."

He walked out the door, and came back holding a series of wooden planks and boards in his hands. "Well, here it is."

"What?" Aja said. "You gotta be kidding me."

"You never said you wanted it to be put together!" Gotz said, a sort of twisted smile on his face.

Aja's face tightened. "Come on, Jack." She said, taking an armful of boards from the carpenter's hands.

Jack obeyed, also grabbing some of the parts. She walked out at a quick pace, still keeping the pile of planks perfectly balanced. Jack was still about twenty steps behind her, having a much bigger stack.

When they finally made it back to the house, Jack and Aja dumped their wood onto the front steps. She sat down, and he thought he heard her mutter something like "Moron..."

"So…" Jack began. "Do need me to help you?"

Aja smiled at him. "Thanks."

She stood up and picked up a board. It was then that Jack realized he was staring at her again. Shaking his head slightly, he also picked up a board and they got to work.

_Thisisadivider_

After about an hour of work, the two had managed to put together the four-poster bed. Jack wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead.

"Thanks a lot for helping me Jack." Aja said, giving him that smile again.

"You're welcome."

"Do you want something to drink?"

He smiled gratefully. "Yes please!"

She giggled, and then walked out the door and started down the stairs.

Jack followed, thinking to himself about the unusual thing that had happened during their time of putting together that stupid bed. It was the all famous event that happened when two people of the opposite gender (and usually liked each other), were reaching for the same thing. When their hands touched, both of them pulled away and blushed. Did this mean that she liked him? Or worse, he liked her?

When he reached the kitchen, Aja held out a glass of fruit juice to him. "Here."

"Thanks."

They sipped their drinks in silence. Finally when both the cups where empty, Jack spoke.

"I guess I better go."

"Yeah…"

Jack walked toward the door, but was stopped by Aja calling him.

"Wait!"

He turned around. She walked up to him, and leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek.

He jumped back ward in alarm. Aja's face turned dark and she hung her head. "Umm…. sorry….."

"No, it's alright…" And with that, Jack ran out the door.

_Thisisadivider_

Karen stared around her room, thinking. Her walls were plastered with posters and pictures of Paris, New York, and San Francisco. These were all the cities that she wanted to go to. She closed her eyes, imagining herself on top of the Eiffel Tower…

"Karen!"

She sighed. It was her father. Again.

"Yes, Dad?" she called out.

"Someone is here to see you!"

Karen reluctantly got up from her place on the bed, and walked through the door into the market part of their house. She brightened when she was that it was her best friend, Ann.

"Hi!" she greeted her.

"Yeah, hey. Listen, I have something to tell you!" Ann said excitedly.

"What is it?" Karen asked.

"I can't tell you here" she replied, gesturing over to Sasha, Karen's mother.

"Oh, right."

The pair walked out of the Supermarket, and started toward the Inn. "So, what is it?"

Ann looked around cautiously, Then spoke, sounding as though she was trying not to squeal in delight. "Cliff asked me out!"

"No way!" Karen said. Ann had a crush on Cliff, the traveler who had come to Mineral Town last winter. "No kidding?"

"I know! We're going to go up to Mother's Hill tonight! This is so exciting!"

"It's about time." Karen said, smirking.

Ann blushed deeply. "I don't know why it took him so long… Hey… wait! I'm going out with him tonight! WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR?"

Karen burst out laughing. "You? Worrying about what to wear? You must _really_ like this guy."

"Hey! Seriously!"

"Don't worry, I'll help."

They walked into the Inn, when Ann started to talk nonstop about Cliff again. Karen's mind wandered off. She thought about how Cliff had asked Ann out, and wondered if Jack would ever ask her…

"Karen? Karen! Karen!" Ann practically screamed into her ear.

"Huh?"

"I asked you if you have seen Aja yet. God, you were in a different universe."

"Aja? Oh yeah. I saw her." Karen said

"I saw her when she and Jack were building a bed. It was kinda weird." Ann said.

"Her and Jack were building a bed? Are you sure it was Jack?" Karen asked a little too quickly.

Ann gigged. "Oh, concerned are you? Yeah, it was Jack. I talked to them for a while."

It was Karen's turn to blush. "I'm not concerned, I'm just wondering."

"Sure you were. You were worried about your _boyfriend_ being with another girl."

"He's not my boyfriend!" Karen said getting a little irritated.

Ann smirked knowingly. "You wish he was!" she cried, and ran up the stairs to her room, with Karen chasing her.

A/N: HOLY CRAP! That was a long chapter. Well, it wasn't really, just the longest one I've ever written. Hope you liked it. PLEASE REVIEW!


	4. Chapter 4

Unshed Tears

By Kirstin a.k.a. K1

A/N: Wow. I think this is the shortest period of time between two updates. READ IT!

Jack walked slowly back to his farm, feeling as though he was in a state of shock. _Ok, so Aja likes me. Big deal._ He thought.

But one thing was keeping him from feeling anything for her. One person came to mind whenever he even considered that he could ever like Aja.

Karen.

He had to admit, he had an attraction to Karen. He had known her since his first day in Mineral Town. Despite her rotten attitude, he had felt something for her right way…

_Flash Back_

Jack stepped into the Super Market on a warm spring afternoon. He had just wandered into there, not knowing his way around the small village. He had not gotten of to a good start, seeing that he had already hit his head and almost broke down the door the town's Inn.

A man with black hair waved at him from the front desk at the back of the store. He smiled, and waved back. He glanced around the little shop, taking in the new atmosphere.

There was aloud clatter and cursing from the corner of the store. A young girl, close to his age, had dropped a box that seemed to be filled with utensils. She leaned over to pick it up, and when she turned around, Jack got a good look at her.

The first thing he noticed was her stunning green eyes, like sparkling emeralds. She had long mocha hair that went down to the middle of her back, with two blonde bangs that framed her face.

She scowled at him. "What are you looking at?"

Jack blinked. The man behind the counter scolded the girl. "Karen! Don't be so rude! Apologize immediately."

After a lot of grumbling, Karen mumbled a feeble apology.

He smiled at her. "That's alright."

"Jack! Hey, Jack!"

He turned around to see who had interrupted his flashback.

Popuri came running up the path. "Jack, do you know who this belongs to?" she held out a silver clip.

Jack groaned. "Yeah, it's Aja's."

"Oh, so can you give it-"

Jack cut her off "No, no, no," and he continued his trail of no's all the way down the path to his farm, holding his head in frustration.

_thisisadivider_

Aja sat on her new bed, thoughts swirling through her head. _Why doesn't he like me?_

She thought irritably. But she already knew the answer. Karen. She always seemed to get in her way.

_Well, I can fix that…_

_thisisadivider_

Karen took yet another shirt out of Ann's disaster of a closet. "How about his one?" she asked.

Ann shook her head. "No, it's a little too fancy."

Karen groaned in frustration. "You said that the last one was too casual!"

"Aw, come on Karen! It has to be perfect."

The two were in Ann's rooming, going through clothes to pick an outfit for Ann's date with Cliff. So far, no such luck.

Ann flopped down on to her big queen-sized bed, her head hanging over the edge. She suddenly bolted back up, eyes wide. "I know!"

"What?"

She ran over to where Karen was standing and reached into the closet. "I know that it's in here somewhere… Ah ha!"

She pulled out a pair of light jeans with red rhinestones along the pockets, and a plain red tank top.

"Hey! That's my shirt!" Karen cried. "You borrowed it, and never gave it back!"

"And I will give it back! _After_ the date." Ann said triumphantly. "This is perfect!"

"Great, cause I've seen enough clothes!" Karen said, sitting on one of Ann's cushy beanbag chairs.

Ann sat down next to her. "What do you want to do now?"

Karen shrugged. "I don't know. We could go to the beach?"

Ann giggled. "Karen, incase you haven't noticed, it's the middle of October!"

"So?"

"Ok then, fine. Let's go get our bathing suit and go see who freezes to death first!"

Karen rolled her eyes. "Not swimming. We could just grab a snack and sit on the sand for a while."

Ann's eyes lit up! "Hey, that's a great idea! We could invite some other people to! Have a fall beach party."

"No, Ann, I meant-"

"Yeah! I could ask Cliff if we could do this instead of going up to the mountain! This will be great!"

She ran out the door, calling over her shoulder. "Come on, Karen!"

Karen groaned to herself, and followed her red-headed friend down the stairs.

_Stupiddivderproblem_

There was a knock at the door. Jack reluctantly got up and opened it. There stood an excited looking Ann, with Karen a few feet behind her.

"Umm… hey. What are you guys doing here?" he asked, looking at them quizzically.

"We're having a party, and you're invited!"

A/N: This wasn't as long as my last chapter, but hopefully it was still good. I haven't gotten many reviews on the last one, but I just posted it the other day, so hopefully more will come! -hint hint-


	5. Chapter 5

Unshed Tears

By Kirstin S.

A/N: Ok, due to a request on making chapters longer, I'm going to work extra hard to make this one 1500 words to 2000 words. I don't give a crap if I'm like, three words off though. Tee hee. Enjoy!

"Was Cliff ok with doing this instead of a romantic evening on the hilltop?" Karen asked Ann, as she pulled out a tray from the cupboard. They decided that they were going to make cookies and cider, seeing as they weren't about to exactly have a barbeque.

"This can still be romantic!" Ann said with a hint of annoyance. "It's just different, that's all. But he was ok with it. Thrilled, actually."

"Are you still wearing the jeans and _my_ top?"

"Wait, I hadn't thought of that! What if-"

"NO! It will still be fine!" Karen said, stopping her friend from going back into that un-Ann-like stage where she was freaking out about clothes.

"Sorry. It's just that even though we're going to a party, it still has to be perfect." Ann said apologetically.

"I don't know how you dragged me into this…" Karen said, sighing.

"Well, it _was_ your idea." Ann said

"What? It was _your_ idea!"

"Forget about that. So, who's coming again" Ann asked.

Karen picked up the list that they had made of all the people who were going to be at the party. "Let's see… so, it's you, me, Jack, Cliff, Gray, Mary, Popuri, Rick and… what!"

"What is it?"

"You invited _Aja_? Ann!" Karen whined.

"No I didn't! When I was talking to Cliff, she just kinda barged in and invited herself." Ann said sheepishly.

Karen groaned. "You could have said no!"

"I didn't want to be rude! Why do you care so much, anyway?"

Karen colored slightly. "That's not the point! The point is… well… she's just… annoying!"

Ann looked at her suspiciously. "Well, we cant uninvited her."

"Watch me!" Karen said, and marched toward the door. Ann grabbed her by the back of her collar.

"Karen, don't! She can get real mean and nasty when she wants to! Remember?"

Karen stared at her for a second, then walked slowly back to the counter. "Yeah, I remember."

"Good. Then let's plan this party!"

_Helpmeicantfindadividerthatworks_

The one small that beach that Mineral Town had was packed with the younger people of the village, despite the crisp fall air. A few blankets were spread out, with couples and friends sitting eating Ann's and Karen's home-made cookies, or just chatting.

Karen popped a CD into her boom box, and turned up the volume. Music filled the area. A few people got up and danced to the quick-paced pop song.

Jack walked over to the table were she was standing, a glass of cider in his hand. "Look's like your party is a success."

Karen grinned slightly. "Technically, it's not my party." She said, motioning over to Ann.

Her and Cliff were sitting on one of the beach blankets, holding hands.

Jack smiled. "My, aren't they cozy?"

"Yeah, it's like they were made for each other." Karen said jokingly.

"Jack!"

Both of them looked around. Aja was jogging up to the table that held the food, where they were currently standing. "Jack! Hey, I was looking for you!" she cried from about twenty yards away.

Aja was wearing a halter top and a long skirt with a Hawaiian print on it. She didn't look could at all, even though it was only about twelve degrees Celsius out.

Jack pulled Karen in front of him. "Quick! Hide me!" he hissed, ducking down.

Aja had walked up before Karen could say anything. "Umm, what are you doing?" she said, looking around at him.

He stood up cautiously. "Nothing! Just… picking up my… wallet! Yeah."

She didn't seem to buy it, but brushed it off anyway. "Okay then… some party, eh?"

"Yeah, it's great. Karen and Ann did a great job." Jack said.

Aja looked at Karen doubtfully. "You planned this party?"

"Yes, I did." Karen said, eyes narrowing. "Why, do you think I'm not capable of planning one?"

Jack noticed a hint of anger in her tone and quickly cut in. "Ok, so, let's get on with it!"

"Do you want to dance, Jack?" Aja asked. She pulled him out to a clear spot and started dancing around to the quick beat before he could react. He glanced over at Karen. She was leaning against the table, watching them closely.

Slowly and reluctantly, Jack began to move around a bit. Aja smiled seductively at him, and he gulped and quickly looked away.

Suddenly, slower song started playing. He silently cursed the DJ. Aja, however, looked smug. "Oh, I like this song to! Please?"

She wrapped her arms around his neck gingerly. "I don't know..." he said, taking a step back. But she moved with him, pulling him closer.

He sighed, seeming to have no choice. Jack loosely placed his hands on her small waist, and started swaying to the soft song. As the music flowed, he began to get more into it, closing his eyes and twirling her around.

Ann walked over to Karen. "What cha' looking at?" she asked, noticing the cynical look her friends face. She glanced over to where Jack and Aja were dancing closely. "Oohh…"

"That man-stealing, snobby, I-think-I-know-everything little-"

"Karen! Cool it!" Ann said, before she could complete the harsh sentence. "They're just dancing."

"Yeah, but she's planning something, I know it." Karen said, glaring in the direction of the couple.

But then she realized how selfish she was being, and replaced her frown with a fake smile. "How's you date going?"

Ann looked over at Cliff with a dreamy look on her face. "Perfect."

"Just the way you wanted it." Karen said a genuine smile spreading across her face. She was glad that Ann had finally found someone.

The song ended, and Jack and Aja walked back to the table. Just before Ann slipped away, she whispered "Ask him to dance!"

Aja was looking smug, while Jack was looking uncomfortable and nervous. Karen raised her eyebrows "Welcome back. Did you have fun, Jack?"

He looked at her apologetically.

"There's no need to be talking in rhymes, Karen!" laughed Aja. Karen responded with a glare. "Loosen up, will ya? Why don't you go ask Rick to dance?" she motioned over to the longed haired guy who was talking to Popuri.

Surprisingly, Karen didn't explode. Instead, she gave Aja sly smile. "I'm surprised you haven't already asked him. After all, you did just _love_ to dance with him when we were kids."

Aja turned a deep shade of red, and opened and closed her mouth as though she couldn't speak. Jack looked at them both confusedly.

She recovered quickly. "That was a long time ago." She said, her lip tightening. "Look, I'm getting bored of this lame party. Will you walk me home Jack?"

"Um… sure." He said uncertainly. He followed her up the steps into the square, taking one last glance over his shoulder.

As they walked along the path, Aja gave a small shiver. "Gee, it's getting cold out." She said. He nodded, noticing how she was dressed again, and couldn't help thinking she looked beautiful.

_Maybe she is the one for me…_ he thought, then immediately felt guilty. He couldn't have a thing for Aja, but still like Karen to. But he did have a nice time with Aja after a while at the party. On the other hand, he _always_ had a good time with Karen. He shook his head, trying to get rid of his confusing thoughts.

When they reached the front door, Aja turned to Jack. "I actually had fun tonight. Thanks."

Jack smiled softly. "I didn't think I could, but I did to."

She leaned in once again like before, except not aiming for his cheek. Jack didn't jump back in fear this time, and let the space between their lips disappear.

Little did they know, Manna was watching them from the front window…

_Thisisadivider_

Karen sat sulkily on a beach blanket, regretting that she didn't get a chance to dance with Jack. Ann and Cliff had come to talk to her a few times, trying to make her feel better, but it hadn't worked too well.

Popuri came bouncing over to her secluded spot. "What's wrong Karen?" she asked, her big red eyes staring at her questioningly.

Karen sometimes felt a little jealous of Popuri. She had such a young and carefree spirit, and always seemed to be happy. A little _too_ happy sometimes, which made her a little frightening.

Karen sighed deeply. "Nothing."

The pink-haired girl cocked her head like a puppy. "It doesn't seem like nothing! You look sad."

"No, really, it's nothing."

"Oh. Ok." She said and skipped off. Karen watched her go, frowning slightly.

_Why should I just sit here feeling sorry for myself?_ She thought. She got up from her blanket, said a quick goodbye to Ann and everyone else, and started to walk home.

_Divider_

About halfway through there kiss, it occurred to Jack what he was doing. He quickly pulled away, and turned his back to her.

"I have to go." He said, and set of at a brisk pace down to his farm.

"Bye, Jack." Even though he had left, Aja was satisfied, and walked in through the door smiling.

As though it was a twist of fate, he ironically ran into Karen, who was also heading for home on the same street.

She smiled at him. "Hey."

Thanking god that she hadn't decided to leave when he was still with Aja, he grinned back at her softly. "Hey…"

"So, did you have a fun time at our party?" she asked. Her facial expression changed slightly "With Aja, seeming as you spent most of the night with her" she added in a tone that was just enough to make him feel guilty.

"Why?" Jack asked with a more cruel sarcasm than he meant to. "What, am I on trial here?"

Karen looked like she'd been slapped in the face. "I was just asking a question!" she said, and turned on her heal to head in the opposite direction.

Jack watched her go miserably. _Boy, am I ever in trouble here…_

A/N: Whew! That took along time! The story itself was… let's see…. 1,671 words! HOORAY! I still feel like it was a little short though… Boo hoo. R&R!


	6. Chapter 6

Unshed Tears

An original story written by K1

A/N: My story got added to a community! It's been a long time. Here's chapter… six!

Karen slammed the door forcefully. A few of her breakable possessions rattled on her dresser.

"Jerk…" she muttered, a number of curse words following.

"Karen! Don't slam the door!"

"Sorry!" she snapped loudly to her mother.

Karen laid down on her queen-sized bed, glaring up at the ceiling.

_Men suck…_she thought darkly.

Feeling the need to break or rip up something, she reached for her notebook. But it wasn't on the bedside table. She frowned and opened the drawer, riffling through the mess of papers and junk. When she finally found it, Karen noticed that a small blue book had been at the bottom of the drawer.

She opened it curiously. On the front page, there was a messily written threat.

_Karen's diary_

_If sumone other than me reads this, they will be sory!_

She smiled at the spelling mistakes, thinking that she must have been six or seven. She flipped through the pages, reading bits and pieces of the entries. There were things about Ann, Rick, and her parents. But one page caught her eye. The spelling mistakes were scarce, and it was also written neater.

_Today I met this new boy. He was with his mom and dad, but he was staying at Joe's farm. He's really nice. His name is Jack. We played at the mountain for a really long time today. He even gave me a flower! I hope that he stays forever and ever._

Karen's eyes filled with angry tears upon reading the boys name.

_Jack…_

She blinked a few times to try and stop herself from crying, but couldn't hold it in. She chucked the diary across the room, and sobbed into her pillow.

---

Manna can gossip, and she knows exactly how to do it.

"Did you hear?'

"What?"

"I saw Aja and Jack KISSING!"

"No way!"

"That is SO juicy!"

"Yeah, it was right after they got back from their beach party the other night."

"I always thought that he liked my daughter…"

"Well, not anymore."

"Poor Karen."

"They were never really going out."

"I guess he just likes Aja better."

"I can't believe it happened so fast!"

"I know!"

"We have to tell everyone!"

---

There was a knock at the door.

"Karen! Let me in!" a familiar voice called.

Karen reluctantly got up and opened the door to see Ann standing there, looking slightly uncertain.

"What is it?"

"I've got something to tell you. But please, don't shoot the messenger!" Ann said, not fully meeting her penetrating gaze.

"Ok, fine. Now tell me what it is." Karen said irritably.

Ann stared at her feet. "Well, I was told that, um… well, I'm not sure if…"

"Spit it out!"

"Jack was supposedly seen kissing Aja!" Ann replied very quickly, then put her hands up to her face as though Karen was about to hit her.

"WHAT!?"

Ann flinched at Karen's outburst. "I said supposedly! You can never really trust gossip anyway!"

"Who did you hear it from?"

"Duke."

"Duke?" Karen asked. That was last person she figured would be spreading gossip.

"Yeah."

Karen started toward her door. "Where are you going?"

"To see if that gossip is really true!" she answered without looking back.

Ann followed nervously.

Karen was pushing open the gate to Moon Drop farm a minute later. She briskly walked toward the front door of Jack's small house.

"Wait, you're going to ask Jack?"

"How else am I supposed to find out the truth? Aja?" Karen responded sarcastically. She knocked on the wooden door.

"Coming!" Jack's muffled voice could be heard.

The front door opened, and he appeared standing there. His hair wasn't combed, and his trademark hat was clutched in his hand.

"Karen, Ann, what's up?"

"Ok Jack. I'm just going to ask you straight up. Did you kiss Aja?" Karen asked, staring him hard in the face.

Jack looked taken aback. "Well, you see… uh… well, it was actually her who-"

SLAP!

A red handprint was left on his cheek. "What was that for?" he asked in surprise. But Karen was already going back through the gate.

Ann looked apologetically at him, then followed her friend back out of the farm, leaving Jack standing there clueless.

---

Aja was feeling very guilty.

She knew Karen had a thing for Jack. She knew that could steal him if she wanted to. She _knew_ that Karen would get jealous of her.

And now all of her bad deeds were coming back to bite her in the butt.

---

Jack slammed down his hoe furiously. _What is her problem? _He thought. _She has no reason to be mad at me!_

**Yes she does, and you know it. You led her on.**

He ignored his conscience, bringing the tool upon the ground again.

But it was right. Jack had led Karen on. He asked her to the Fireworks Festival. He had given her gifts, and had planned her birthday party that had happened just a week ago.

**Face it Jack.**

"SHUT UP!" He yelled, not realizing how stupid he sounded. "It's not my fault!"

He chucked his hoe to the side, where it embedded itself in the soil a few feet away. He sighed deeply. _Man, my love life is so complicated…_

"Hey, Jack!"

He turned. Rick was looking at him over the fence. "Oh, hey. What's up?" Jack answered, getting ready to explain his weird behavior.

"I was just wondering… are you really going out with Aja?" Rick asked. "Popuri told me. Well, she heard it from Elli, who heard it from Doug, who heard it from Ann, who heard it from Duke, who heard it from….."

"I get it!" Jack said, cutting him off before had mentioned everyone in town. News really traveled fast there. "No, I'm not."

Rick readjusted his glasses. "Really? Well, Popuri also told that you two were kis-"

"How does everybody know that?!" Jack yelled angrily. "God, is my life being broadcasted on T.V. or something?"

"No. But I guess this means that you have given up on Karen, right? Since you have Aja?" Rick asked curiously.

Jack dragged his hands over his face. "I don't know. She's really mad at me now."

"Great! That's all I wanted to know!" Rick said cheerfully, and he turned back around and went back to his house.

As Jack watched him go, he wondered if Aja wasn't the only thing standing between him and Karen…

---

"Karen! Why did you do that?" Ann said breathlessly, trying to catch up with her friend. "He didn't even say that he did!"

"He was about to give me that 'She kissed me I didn't kiss her' crap. God, he is such a moron!" Karen said angrily, still walking very quickly.

Ann hurried to keep up. "Well, how do you know that it isn't true?"

Karen spun around. Ann had to stop abruptly to keep from crashing into her. "Because… because I know!" she turned back and continued walking toward her house, when she noticed that Rick was coming in their direction.

"Hi guys." He said when he reached them. "What are you up to?"

"I'm just a little pissed off right now Rick, so this isn't a good time." Karen said, and brushed right by him.

"Is it because of Jack?"

She stopped and faced him again. "How did you know about Jack?"

Ann looked back and forth between them.

"He told me. Apparently him and Aja are dating now."

Karen paused. "Did he… did he say anything about me?"

"Yeah. He said that you were really mad at him and that he had given up on you." Rick answered, with a hint of pleasure in his voice.

"Are you sure that's what he said?" Ann asked quickly. "I mean, he couldn't have given up on her… right?"

Rick shrugged. "That's what he told me."

Karen could feel her heart beating fast. _He's really given up on me? _She thought. He had found someone new. Someone better. _It's not as if we were ever really a couple…_

"Well, I guess I better get going." Rick said.

"Wait…Rick." Karen said before he started to go back home. "I was wondering…. Are you doing anything tonight?"

She smiled softly, Rick beamed, and Ann looked absolutely horrified.

A/N: Bad Rick! You shall be punished later on in the story! I tried to make this chap long, so hopefully it won't disappoint.


	7. Chapter 7

Unshed Tears

Written by DoubleKK

A/N: Wow, an update. Surprised? So am I.

Jack nervously approached the tree on the right side of his farm. He planned to collect honey from the beehive that resided in it, be he knew that a small squirrel he called 'Willy Wonka' was waiting for him. His name came from 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory', after the crazy squirrels in the book. Willy had made pelting nuts at Jack his main form of entertainment.

The dark-haired farmer inched closer and closer to the tree, knowing that the insane little creature was waiting to strike once he was underneath. Finally, he took a deep breath, and ran over to the hive with his hands over his head. Willy did not disappoint.

Chestnuts bounced off his head and back as he tried to reach the honey. "Stop it!" Jack roared. But the nuts just came down harder and faster.

He eventually ran out from under attack. "Get out of my tree!" he continued to yell from a distance. But he doubted that after nearly ten months of tormenting him, Willy wasn't about to give up.

Jack sat down in the dirt, and his attention instead focused on another problem, besides the nutty squirrel. A certain green-eyed girl was still extremely pissed off at him. And the fact that she had angrily slapped him across the face earlier in the day confirmed that statement. Flirty Aja and prying Rick didn't make it any easier to apologize to her. He wanted to run away and spill his guts to someone, but his damn pride kept getting in the way.

He looked up when he heard his dog barking hysterically at the tree. Willy Wonka was chattering angrily, quickly throwing down nuts at the little puppy. But the dog wouldn't leave him alone, so he dashed down the tree and ran for the hills. Or the river, anyway.

Jack laughed. "Yeah, go Almond!" he cried, as his puppy chased the terrified squirrel up another tree on the opposite side of the bridge. Willy Wonka shook his fist madly at Jack, and he could just imagine the terminator's voice coming out of his mouth. _I'll be back…_

At least something was going right today.

---

"Why, Karen, why?"

"Lay off Ann, it's just one date!" Karen snapped to her red-headed friend, who was draped over the edge of the Supermarket front counter.

Ann looked at her desperately. "Yes, but one date could turn into two dates, and then three, and then before you know your getting married and having kids and…. OH THE HORROR!"

"Shut up, will you?"

"I'm sorry." Ann sighed. "But it's Rick! You were 'going out' with him when you were twelve, but seriously."

Karen placed another bag of flour on the shelf. "That's why I have to give him another chance! I mean, my choices in men are pretty slim here."

"Oh, really?" Ann said sarcastically. "I think I may know of another guy who would be a better candidate. He's about 6"1, had brown hair and eyes, and owns a farm. Have you gotten it yet? Here's another hint; His name starts with J, and ends with ack."

"You know that it's not going to happen, Ann"

"Oh, did you not figure it out yet? Jack! The first guy that's you've _really_ liked in six years!

"Don't you have anything better to do than pester me about this?" Karen said bitterly.

"Nope."

"What do you think Cliff's doing right about now?" she said, trying to change the subject.

A sour look appeared on Ann's face. "Working at the stupid winery, cause Jack got him that stupid job! He's never around anymore" she replied, sitting back down on the chair and pouting.

"What you, six?" Karen said, a smile playing its way onto her lips. "And if weren't for Jack, Mr. Clifford wouldn't still be her right about now!"

Ann sighed. "I know."

"Why don't you go bother him instead?"

"I just said, he's working!"

"I'm working!" Karen cried, gesturing towards the box of merchandise she was supposed to be putting away.

Ann suddenly looked sheepish. "Oh, right. See ya!" she turned and headed for the door.

"Hey, wait a second!" Karen yelled to her friend. "What ever happened to my red top that you-"

SLAM!

"Borrowed."

---

Mineral Town's Inn/bar wasn't horribly crowded on this particular night like it was on the weekends and Friday nights. Lonely Gray sat in the corner, his hat pulled over his face, and Zack was talking to Basil over some drinks. Rick entered the building that moment, bearing an ugly checkered tie and a box of chocolates clutched in his sweaty hands. He sat down on a stool at the bar.

Another person pushed open the door. Rick sat up, but it wasn't Karen. Aja walked through the door silently. She looked extremely tired, with her greasy hair in a pony-tail and her deep green eyes dulled. She walked over to Rick, but she didn't seem to know where she was going.

Aja sat down on the stool next to him. "Hi." She said simply, not even looking at him.

He smiled softly. "Hey Aja. What are you doing here? You're a mess."

She shot a piercing glare at Rick, and he gulped nervously. "I mean, um… well, what I meant to say was- oh, whatever."

"I hardly slept at all last night." She told him, averting her gaze back to the floor. "I feel so… guilty. And you should too!" she snapped without warning. "Hasn't it been bothering you to know what you're doing!?"

Rick looked taken aback. "What are you talking about?"

"I know that Karen wanted you to have dinner with her, but you tricked her into thinking that she had no chance left with Jack!" Aja said sharply. "You should be ashamed."

Rick frowned. "How do you know all that? And besides, you tried to break them apart first! You kissed Jack!" he answered, trying to defend himself.

"You're right, and now I'm feeling so freaked guilty that I'm being a hypocrite!" she said loudly in his ear. "And guess what! I'm going to tell the TRUTH!" and with that last statement, Aja stomped out of the Inn, her hair swinging behind her.

Everyone was staring now. Rick buried his face in his hands, as color flushed to his cheeks. _She's finally snapped._

Karen arrived about ten minutes after the incident with Aja. She had traded in her purple vest for a nice layered green T-shirt and jeans. She spotted her 'date' quickly, and walked over casually. "Hey Rick. What's up?"

He smiled widely. "Well, today I was asked out by the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, so you can guess I'm doing great."

She nodded slightly at the extravagant compliment, but her mind was elsewhere.

After a few moments of silence, "Aja was just talking to me here, before you arrived." Rick said nervously, trying to start some sort of a conversation.

Karen's eye's averted from the table to his quickly. "Really? What did she say?"

Rick blinked. He hadn't expected her to be so interested, and hadn't planned on telling her what the girl had said. "Well, she was talking about… umm…"

Emerald green eyes were fixed upon him. "She said that… she was happy that the two of a might be getting back together." The first thing that popped into his head came blurting out of his mouth. His conscience tugged at his insides, all the lies mixing around in his stomach.

"Oh." Her eyes stared at the counter again. "So, do you want to get something to eat?"

Dinner was practically silent. Ann had served them, but she seemed just as distant as Karen, instead of her usual perky self. Karen pushed the food on her plate around, and had only mumbled an almost inaudible 'thanks' when Rick gave her the chocolates.

It went on like this for 20 minutes, until Ann's cat Jingles came flying down the stair rails, hissing angrily. Cliff followed shortly after, cursing and yelling at the cat. "That little beast scratched me!" he said to Ann. Long red lines were on his arm, and his hair was so messed up that he looked like a caveman.

That did it. Within seconds, Ann, Rick and Karen were all laughing hysterically. Cliff looked at them all, confused and a bit ticked off. "It's not funny!" he said irritably. "That thing's a monster!" But they just laughed harder.

"Re…member…when you…." Karen tried to choke out between giggles, but failed.

"I know!" Rick replied, tears of laughter running down his face. Cliff looked even more confused than before, as well as the other citizens in the Inn.

"What are they talking about?"

Ann calmed her self down enough to talk to the disheveled boy. "Well, when we were kids, us three found Jingles in the forest, and we tried to catch him. Let's just say that it wasn't a pretty sight for me and Karen. I'm pretty sure that Rick still has the scars." She started laughing again. "It was hilarious!"

When the three childhood friends finally got out of their laugh attack, Karen smiled at Rick shyly. "I'm sorry that I've been kinda ignoring you tonight. It's just…" she trailed off.

"It's ok, I understand." Rick told her reassuringly. "I mean, with all that's been going on."

"Hey, it's not that funny, it happened to me!" they heard Cliff saying in the background.

"Maybe you should go look in a mirror." Ann told him, and they all busted up again.

---

Jack walked through the streets of Mineral Town, the loneliness creeping up on him. He racked his brains for someone that would be able to understand his problem. After some thought, he walked toward the Church.

He entered the chapel. His footsteps echoed throughout the building, as he walked toward the podium thing at the front. But the priest was not at his usual post. "Carter?" Jack called. His voice bounced off the walls.

"Over here."

The door that always seemed to be closed was cracked open, and the priest's face was peeking out of it. "Would you like to come in, Jack?"

"I'm not here for a confession, I just want some advice."

Carter smiled knowingly. "I'll spare you the burden of explaining. I understand your problem, I'm just curious of why you've come to me."

Jack blinked. He had expected a painful conversation with lots of revising and stuttering. "Well, I though that, you know, I could get some help from you."

"I think that you don't need that much help, just reassuring. You know what you need to do to solve the problem."

Biting back a sarcastic remark, the farmer instead said innocently, "What do you mean?" He was starting to regret even talking to the preist.

"Talk to her."

"Um, ok thanks." said Jack, as he turned to leave. "For nothing." He said under his breath. As he pushed open the large double doors of the Church, he spun around quickly.

"Wait, which one?"

But the door to the confession had already clicked shut.

A/N: I think I've finally gotten over the mean review I got. But trust me, this may be the only update for a long time. Partly cause, even though I wrote it, I have no idea what's going to happen next.


End file.
